If You Were Starting Out?

Barnezy

I’m about 2 years in to my guitar journey and I’m hooked. I have my first gig in April and believe I’ve passed the beginner stage, just. I’ve started to appreciate tone and want to start building a rig to see me in to the future. 

I’ve noticed however that people are regularly selling all their pedals and was wondering if this indicates tube amps and pedals are now the past. 

If you were in my position now, would you go tube amp and pedals or something like a Helix Stomp? 

I like the the idea of having a nice Amp and pedals I can physical touch, plus the limitations that setup gives you, as the i feel the multiFX units would lead to option paralysis. However if I was an accountant, I’d probably choose MultiFX all day long. 

For those more experienced than me, what would you do now? 

TTBZ

I'd probably go digital first so you can get a feel for what you like, then if you feel you need to, branch out into valve amps.

Personally after 15 years of using valve amps and pedals I'm probably going to try going back to a modeller, a HX Stomp. I love valve amps IF I'm in the right situation to get the best out of one. Which 90% of the time I'm not. So a modeller makes much more sense to me these days.

Maynehead

I say go with a valve amp first, so you get to know their strengths, shortcomings and limitations. Then when you start wanting more, that's the time to switch to digital.

The problem with going digital first is, you'll forever be wondering how much better a "real" valve amp sounds, and might never be satisfied with what you have.

monquixote

Everyone is always selling their pedals because they like trading!

If I was gigging standard covers I'd get a simple workhorse amp like a Fender HRD and a couple of basic drive pedals like a TS and a Rat. You don't really need anything else.

cosmiccarrot

My advice which ever way you go is, keep it simple.

You'll find once you do your first couple of gigs, most of your concentration will be taken up with remembering your set list, keeping in time and tune with the rest of the band and the all important... keeping the audience entertained with some sort of stage act. So the last thing you want to do is dance around on pedals or spend all the time between songs crouched down fiddling with your pedals...

Without wishing to come across as an old timer, I find today there are too many distractions with gear, time which can be better spent crafting your skill, playing the guitar. Just one good amp and a couple of pedals and stick with them, regardless what new shiny things come out from music retailers.

Teetonetal

it's just human nature, nothing more. People are rarely satisfied with their lot. Curiosity of other sounds, brands, latest wonder pedal / amp always sets in. Whilst I've invested significantly in gear over the years, there comes a point where the cash just gets locked in. I haven't actually spent any savings on gear for quite a while. 

I've got a real love of the latest digital models, so easy to use and super flexible, but I still love having a valve amp too. 

Honestly I see nothing wrong with wither route, though perhaps going for an amp and a couple of pedals will feel more natural. 

Go to a shop, try a bunch of things out. I like having the amp provide the dirt, others like a clean amp with dirt from pedals, so get the store to setup a couple of options. This gear is expensive to buy first time round, so take your time.

Lestratcaster

If I knew how much lugging around I'd have to do and how many gigs I'd play in a year I'd definitely go digital! But there's something I'll always love about an amp head into a 4x12 and some pedals. Just feels natural and pure to me.

p90fool

monquixote said:

Everyone is always selling their pedals because they like trading!

If I was gigging standard covers I'd get a simple workhorse amp like a Fender HRD and a couple of basic drive pedals like a TS and a Rat. You don't really need anything else.

That's exactly what I've come back to for gigging and is what I'd advise someone who is just starting out. 

Get a simple setup, and learn to use your hands to express yourself. 

RaymondLin

If you ever go pedals route, tips

1 - Buy used, almost every pedal you want will eventually come on the used market. People have different tastes, people like to trade, the latest thing is always seem like the best thing so they move things on.

2 - To get the best out of them, get an isolated PSU from the get go, this will last you the longest.

3 - Don't go too complicated, keep it simple to start off with.

Barnezy

Thanks guys! 

My my initial thoughts for an amp and pedal setup were:

68 Princeton Reverb 
Tube Screamer
DS1 (already own)
EXH Canyon Delay 
Neo Clone (already own)
EXH Soul Food (already own)
Spark 
An EQ pedal

Is that simple enough? 

Big believer in buying secondhand so probably about £1,200 all in for that rig, and most would retain its value if I wanted to ever swap or change. 

The HX Stomp however does look very compelling, and only £429 for endless tonal options.

Roland

You’ll get two views on here. Those who like pedals, and those who don’t. We make our decisions based on different criteria.

I’m in the multiFX group. Starting out I’d buy a secondhand Helix from someone who tried it, but couldn’t get on with it.

Maynehead

Barnezy said:

Thanks guys! 

My my initial thoughts for an amp and pedal setup were:

68 Princeton Reverb 
Tube Screamer
DS1 (already own)
EXH Canyon Delay 
Neo Clone (already own)
EXH Soul Food (already own)
Spark 
An EQ pedal

Is that simple enough? 

Big believer in buying secondhand so probably about £1,200 all in for that rig, and most would retain its value if I wanted to ever swap or change. 

The HX Stomp however does look very compelling, and only £429 for endless tonal options.

3 boost pedals? How about some kind of Marshall in a box instead?

thumpingrug

Many years ago and about a year into playing and when I first joined a band I bought a Marshal because ROCK AND ROLL and a few peddles.   It was a good amp and covered what i needed, but in hindsight and for longevity I wish I had got a fender deluxe reverb, which would also have done the job, but would have been more flexible for what I mostly play.  If i was starting today (and more importantly could afford it) Id go Helix and some good FRFR speakers.

Barnezy

I guess the T-Screamer isn’t needed. 

What about a Princeton and a HX Stomp? A used Princeton and HX Stomp would come in under £900. I’d then have the option to use digital pedals with a tube amp or the HX Stomp on its own using Amp emulations. 

monquixote

I'd look at something with a bit more beef than a Princeton for gigging. A DRRI or an HRD.

Also I've had various EHX pedals crap out on me.

Barnezy

The “gigs”, and I use that term loosely,  that i’m initially doing are only small and with an electric drum kit through a PA, so not needing huge amounts of volume. I thought a Princeton could be a good starting point that could double as an at home amp too. If a bigger amp is needed in the future, then that would be fine and there would still be a place for the Princeton. 

Yes, I love the Marshall sound, but Fender amps seem more versatile, especially with pedals. Maybe I have that wrong though? 

I think i might look for a used Princeton and just stick with the pedals I have currently. If I decide I want more pedals, like delay etc, I’ll put that money towards a HX Stomp, using it as a pedal and then start exploring the other capabilities. 

octatonic

Get a Boss Katana and play it for 2 more years.
You don't need more than that but you can augment it as you go.

TTBZ

Sounds like a plan, get a good base sound from the amp then go from there. For me I started on a Fender HRDx but never actually used the clean sound as I was really after Marshally tones. Felt pointless having a clean amp and just using MIAB pedals the whole time, so I got an amp that does that sound better. Depends what you're after though, versatility can be overrated imo. I prefer just a couple good core tones from the amp, and then embellish a little with pedals.

Grumpyrocker

Before 2009 I had very little guitar gear. I had one electric guitar. Hadn't owned an amp for years. Bought a cheap Spider for a gig my wife got me involved with. Then my gear got destroyed by a flood.

Since then I've owned eight electric guitars (selling three), eight amps (selling four) and numerous pedals including a couple of expensive Blackstar drives (which I've sold).

I've finally come to the conclusion that this whole thing was a complete and utter waste of time and money. If I'd kept the Blackstar HT5 and Epiphone Les Paul I'd bought with flood insurance money and just stuck with that I'd be just as happy with the gear I have now.

I'd love to reduce the complexity and amount of stuff I've got, but it's likely trying to do so would end up me buying more stuff convinced this was me simplifying. 

english_bob

The biggest disadvantage of going the digital route is that it's still a developing technology, and as such whatever you buy now, even if you're spending Axe-FX amounts of money on it, will be obsolete within a decade (if you're lucky) and worth a fraction of what you paid for it. Valve amplifiers and analogue pedals are about as far evolved as they're ever likely to be, so barring the usual depreciation if you buy new and sell later, you probably won't lose as much money.

There are many reasons you'll find people selling off stuff in bulk here. Sometimes it's because they've joined a new band and need a very different setup to what they currently own. Sometimes it's because they're going "all-in" on a digital system like the Helix. Sometimes it's because this is a hobby and they need something to keep them entertained. Very few of those reasons are anything to do with the quality of the stuff they're selling.

Don't take forums like this as representative of guitarists in general- I know plenty who have no interest in the sort of gear geekery that goes on here, and there are plenty of other forums that have their own particular and quite different brands of geekery too.

Barnezy said:

My my initial thoughts for an amp and pedal setup were:

68 Princeton Reverb 
Tube Screamer
DS1 (already own)
EXH Canyon Delay 
Neo Clone (already own)
EXH Soul Food (already own)
Spark 
An EQ pedal

Is that simple enough? 

I'd say it depends on what you want to play. For plenty of stuff it isn't simple enough- a Tubescreamer is similar enough to a Klone that having both might well be redundant for some players. Likewise, a clean boost and an EQ (and a Klone, and a Tubescreamer) can overlap somewhat, but not necessarily (and clean boost type pedals react very differently with different types of amps in different stages of overdrive, so might not do what you expect).

If it was me, I'd want a delay that can store presets and has more comprehensive tap tempo capabilities. I'd also pick an amp where I could dial in some overdrive that wasn't dependent on how loud I was playing, but that's about personal preference and how I play, not necessity. 

If those are the tools you need to do the job you want to do though, it's a perfectly good setup. It might not always be suitable as your needs change and your playing develops, but that's one of the reasons all this gear gets bought and sold here.

57Deluxe

Argghhh! - a million and one conflicting answers to confuse you!

Ppl always buying and suddenly selling their "The best ever  xxx - it's a keeper" so this is no indication to a trend.

FX units look great to the novice cos the contain all the FX they have heard of (and heard others speak of) BUT - FX units are processed and Marketed to sound everything to everyone from the power-up, and are almost totally useless in their Factory Preset guise in a live/band scenario.

So unless you want to spend months knob twiddling/mini menu mining and driving yourself nuts not finding that one sound you found once but forgot to save, then 'on the floor' individual pedals are a better bet.

Also - you will NEVER appreciate Tone from using an FX unit, but you will start to see how a pedal you, and the amp make your guitar sound. A pedal (most pedals) nearly always will have just the ONE setting where they truly excel. As long as you appreciate this fact (and not be tempted to sell it Because of that fact) then you will not only improve your playing/tone but also enjoy your journey a lot more.

Believe me - I have spent 30 years crafting FX units - see link below \/